Nightfall:Grim Tidings
PM Omniance: August 3rd 2:30 AM Casa de Shane, Nemo's Lab PM Omniance: Nemo: He looks a large burner over, there's boiling liquid inside slowly turning from purple to clear. He leans back and looks down the line, rows of glass bottles and tubes of varying sizes, all with liquids and gases moving through them in a long chain, transmutating into various substances. After a moment he walks over to the old tape recorder he found with Odie's stuff and pulls it out, turning to the large table at the center of his lab. He's moved Ricky's body into his lab, and it's laying on the table. He flips the recorder on and walks over to the table, setting it down as he drags a small table with a few medical scalpels up next to him with his other hand. Alright... I'm gonna start the examination of Ricky's body. He looks the mangled form up and down slowly. If you listen to this somewhere down the line Lucas, know that if I sound cold, it's because I want to be objective in my examination. He reaches towards the webbing around Ricky's face. I'm now carefully removing the web-like material around the subject's face and head... As expected, it is silk-like, pale, and adhesive. Similar to webbing typically created by various arachnids... It seems to adhere to biological tissue especially well... As he pulls more and more of it away he reveals Ricky's head. He gulps slightly. Subject's head and facial region has extensive epidermal and deep tissue damage. He pulls apart what he assumes must've been Ricky's mouth and the jaw cracks quietly, some of the teeth coming loose. Skeletal integrity has been massively compromised by an unknown enzym... Cutting tools aren't even needed... The tissue is so soft, almost like... Pulp... It just peels away in chunks at the touch. He holds up his gloved hand and rubs the sticky red liquid between his thumb and finger. He stares at it for a moment, examining it, before he hears Shane's truck pull up outside, it catches his ear and he looks up at the basement's ceiling. Shane: About a minute later he's walking through the house. You guys still awake? He looks around. You left all the damn lights on again! He looks up at the second floor, seeing the door to Coty's room is open. Coty? He looks into the living room, then walks down into the basement. Nemo? He reaches the landing and sees Lucas laying on the floor in a make-shift bed. ...What the hell happened? PM Arbi: Yuri: He looks away from his brother towards Shane, he looks worn out from what happened last night. We found them outside of Cold Springs last night... they were attacked. PM Omniance: Shane: Ricky too? Where is he? Nemo: He didn't make it. He's walking out into the main area. Shane: ...What? Nemo: I thought you were at work until seven? Shane: They didn't need me the whole morning, so I... Well I'm going back at noon today. He looks at Yuri. Ricky's really dead? PM Arbi: Yuri: He looks down a little. PM Omniance: Nemo: They were attacked by a giant spider. From the "Sunless", that dark world we were dragged into during the festival. Shane: He shakes his head. So what are we going to do? Nemo: He looks down. You should try and get some sleep. Nemo's voice sounds strangely apathetic. We're working on it. He looks up at Shane. Shane: He looks over at Yuri, then back to Nemo. Is Lucas alright? Nemo: He'll be fine. He looks over at Yuri. Shane: I don't know what to do. Nemo: Just... Go get some rest. You don't need to do anything. I'll take care of it. Shane: He stares at Nemo for a moment, then turns and walks up the stairs out of the basement. Call me if you need anything. Nemo: He watches Shane walk upstairs. We won't. He looks at Yuri for a moment then turns and starts heading back towards his lab. PM Arbi: Yuri: He stands up when Nemo starts walking back to laboratory. Did you find anything? PM Omniance: Nemo: He stops, then turns around. Troy said the body behind the diner was emaciated, like it was sucked dry. Ricky's wasn't. So it was either saving him as a meal for later, or... It just wanted to kill him, like you said. I'm not finished examining the body yet. I want to be done before Lucas wakes up. PM Arbi: Yuri: He'll be awake soon... He sighs and looks back at Lucas. I still don't know what to say to him when he does. PM Omniance: Nemo: He looks down. We can tell him the truth, or we can whole-sale lie to him until I can fix it. He looks at Yuri. But we both know I'm not a great liar. PM Arbi: Yuri: He shakes his head slightly. We can't lie to him... Ricky was the world to him and if either of us tried to lie about something this... this heartbreaking to him... PM | Edited 1:49:10 PM Omniance: Nemo: I worked under a necromancer for three years. He looks down, his eyes wandering a little as he thinks back. I know a little about animating the dead... I could bring Ricky back, his body's all there, I just need to make it all fit back together. He looks up at Yuri. It would be him... It just... Wouldn't... Be him. It would... Be a golem that acts and looks like Ricky, but it'd just be... An empty shell... No soul. He looks down. It would take Lucas a while to tell the difference... PM | Edited 1:50:34 PM Arbi: Yuri: When Nemo mentions that he wouldn't have a soul he turns around and sits back down beside Lucas, he looks more disappointed than mad. PM Omniance: Nemo: I need to find Ricky's soul, if I'm going to bring him back. He lets out a quiet sigh. And looking for something like that can take time... For all we know, the Hat Man has it. PM Arbi: Yuri: You wouldn't bring me back as a zombie, would you? PM Omniance: Nemo: Not unless you wanted me to. He shakes his head a little. PM Arbi: Yuri: He goes quiet for a long moment. Hey, promise me if something happens to me, you remember me with a picture... and not a zombie version of me. PM Omniance: Nemo: Nothing's going to happen to you Yuri. He turns and walks back into his lab. PM Arbi: Yuri: He thinks about the future and everything they may possibly have to face soon before he look back down at his injured brother. He gently runs his fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. We'll make it out of this, Lucas... just like every time before. PM Omniance: About a half hour passes, and Coty and Troy suddenly appear in the basement. Coty: He sets down a large wheelbarrow full of clay, then looks around the basement. He has the collar of his shirt pulled up over his face, but he pulls it down and takes a deep breath. Ahh... Fuck'n fresh air, man. He rubs the side of his head. He looks sweaty and tired, and his hair is all messed up. That place smelled like shit. Troy: He has the start of dark rings around his eyes from a lack of sleep. The ichor is still settled under the dirt. He pulls down a bandana, looking around for a moment before seeing Yuri. How's he doing? PM Arbi: Yuri: We won't know until he wakes up... he doesn't do anything while he's in deep sleep, even if he's in pain. He stands up and walks up to the wheelbarrow. You guys really got all of it... He smiles a little. PM Omniance: Coty: He raises an eyebrow at Yuri. You know Troy here promised me I got to bed you if I did all the digging. He smirks. PM Arbi: Yuri: He looks at Troy, giving him a "really?" look before he looks back at Coty. After this is all over? He tilts his head a little, as if deciding something in his mind. Sure, why not? It's impossible to tell if he's joking or not. PM Omniance: Coty: Huh. Troy: He rolls his eyes. Hey Nemo! He pats Coty on the back. Move that into the lab back there. He walks towards Nemo's office, but waits next to the door. Coty: He grunts as he lifts up the wheelbarrow and backpedals it towards Nemo's office. Troy: As Coty back pedals near the door he looks to the wheel barrow. It might not fit. Coty: Yeah I get that a lot. He looks over at Yuri and winks. But I make it work. Troy: He puts his hand on his forehead and lets out an annoyed groan. Nemo! PM Arbi: Yuri: He walks past Coty before he has a chance to wink at him, hopping over the wheelbarrow before opening the door to get Nemo. Bro? PM Omniance: Nemo: He suddenly sits up, having fallen asleep sitting down and with his on the desk with all the bubbling chemistry. Huh? He looks passed Yuri. They're back? Behind him is Ricky's body, it's been tightly wrapped up in black rubble tape, like electrical tape. It looks like Nemo put it back together well enough for him to have a discernable shape after he finished the autopsy. Nemo stands up. PM Arbi: Yuri: Yeah, with all the clay too. He sees Ricky's body wrapped up before he looks back at Nemo, motioning to follow him back out into the rec room. PM Omniance: Nemo: He looks at Ricky for a moment then follows Yuri out. Troy: You get everything ready? Nemo: It's all set up, just need a piece of Trent's corpse. Coty: He makes a weird face when Nemo says that. PM Arbi: Yuri: We'll work on that tomorrow... the three of you should try to get some sleep. PM Omniance: Troy: Why would we wait? He looks annoyed. It's the last thing we need, then we have Trent. Nemo: He rubs the side of his head. Coty: Did you say corpse? He raises an eyebrow. Troy: We're just going to wait another eight hours? Nemo: We don't know where he's buried. Troy: I said we just check obituaries... Nemo: I'm too tired to scroll through old newspapers right now... I can't stay up like I used to... Troy: He lets out a long frustrated sigh and looks at Yuri. Alright, whatever. He turns and heads towards the stairs. PM Arbi: Yuri: He watches Troy walk away. And enough with the attitude, Troy... we're all tired and need rest. PM Omniance: Nemo: He watches Troy leave, then looks to Yuri. He means well. Coty: So we're done for the night? He looks between Yuri and Nemo several times. PM | Edited 3:07:47 PM Arbi: Yuri: He nods a little at Coty. Yeah... sleep well, alright? PM Omniance: Coty: Cool. He turns and walks up the stairs. Nemo: I'm going to go lay down with Shane. I want to be there when he wakes up so we can talk a little before he heads out again. He looks to Yuri. PM Arbi: Yuri: I'll be down here if you need me... He glances back at Lucas. I'll take a nap after he goes back to sleep again. PM Omniance: Nemo: He looks down with uncertainty. I'd stay, but... He doesn't really like me much still. It'll be better for you if you tell him alone. PM Arbi: Yuri: Yeah... it's not just you either, I don't think anyone else should be down here when he wakes up. PM Omniance: Nemo: He thinks for a moment. I'm not sure how he'll react... Even though I went through what he'll go through... It's still hard to say... He shrugs a little. PM Arbi: Yuri: He places his hand on his shoulder. Go get some sleep. He smiles a little and turns to start walking back to Lucas. PM Omniance: Nemo: He walks up stairs after a moment. PM Omniance: About two hours later... Lucas: He slowly opens his eyes. Looking around the basement. The lights are off so he can barely see anything. He moves to sit up, but his back hurts and he lets out a loud gasp. ...Ricky? He remembers what happened. Ricky!? He tries to move again, slowly rolling onto his side, he feels the stone floor, realizing he's not in the forest anymore. PM Omniance: Yesterday morning... August 2nd 10:15 AM Cold Springs, Coalman Road PM Arbi: Ricky: He has both hands on the steering wheel, moving it to the side as he turns the car into the next road. That went a lot better than I thought it would. Especially after the... He clears his throat. ...dragon's breath. PM Omniance: Lucas: Yeah, I don't think I'm ever going to quit smoking. He looks at Ricky. Sorry... PM Arbi: Ricky: You can always try again next year. He glances at the rearview mirror for a second before he makes another turn. I don't think those cigarettes are hurting you anyways. PM | Edited 3:33:43 PM Omniance: Lucas: They're not... But, they're expensive, and it's gotta be rough on you... Even if you won't say it is. He looks out the window. You managed to quit years ago. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks at him for a second before he places a hand on his thigh, rubbing it a little. I'll go through hell as long as you're happy, Vera. PM Omniance: Lucas: He smiles a little, still looking outside. When we get back home I'm going to blow a bunch of smoke right in the building manager's face... PM Arbi: Ricky: He can't help but to smile, imagining how mad she would get before he turns the steering wheel again, going with the curve of the long road. As they continue down the road the surrounding trees start to thin out, letting them see the sun rising far into the distance. Since it's a long way back he decides to turn on the radio, listening to one of the first songs that starts playing that sounds decent. PM Omniance: Lucas: I'm actually surprised there's reception here. They must have their own radio tower somewhere in the mountains. He looks up along the ridge of northern range. PM Arbi: Ricky: He reaches across the steering wheel and starts scratching his left arm lightly. PM Omniance: Lucas: You'd almost forget it's summer up here. It was so cold last night, I thought we'd wake up to snow or something... He lets out a quiet sigh, missing Yuri already. I hope Yuri's happy up here. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looked happy to see you. He looks at Lucas for a second. But I'm still a little jealous that you slept in his bed last night. PM Omniance: Lucas: Yeah, made me nervous... If only because I saw the look Shane's brother kept giving you. He smiles a little, thought it's obvious that it was bugging him a little. PM Arbi: Ricky: He reaches over again, this time rubbing his left arm instead of scratching it. Fuck... What is that? He looks down at his skin, seeing it's turning red from the scratching and rubbing. Feels like I touched some poison ivy... PM Omniance: Lucas: Let me see it. He leans over the divide to get a better look. PM Arbi: Ricky: As they continue down the road the sunlight slowly comes up over his face. He goes quiet and stares out into the road for a long moment before he smiles ever so slightly. Without hesitation he makes a sudden sharp turn off the road onto the dirt, driving towards the forest. PM Omniance: Lucas: Ricky!? What are you doing!? He tries to grab at the wheel to turn back towards the road. PM Arbi: Ricky: We have to go back... He looks serious as he speeds up, many tall trees start to pass them as they drive deeper into the forest. PM Omniance: Lucas: ...What? What the hell are you talking about?! Ricky! He grabs him and tries to shake him. Snap out of it! PM Arbi: Ricky turns to look at Lucas, sudden confusion on his face as he suddenly realizes something's wrong. He starts to talk "Vera-" before his voice is cut off as the car slams into one of the many trees around them. It's one of the last things Lucas remembers before he woke up a second time seven hours later. He's laying down in the dirt on his stomach, his clothes are ripped and bloodied from his injuries. It hurts to move. PM | Edited 4:26:28 PM Omniance: Lucas: He lets out a gasp, the side of his face pressed into the dirt. He coughs and spits a little bit of the dirt out of his mouth and speaks quietly. ...Ricky? He looks around slightly. It looks like it's almost dark already since the sun isn't out long here in Cold Springs. ...Ricky? He moves a little, groaning in pain at the slightly movements. PM Arbi: A hand gently pets the back of Lucas's head, Ricky's comforting voice can be heard behind him. You're still bleeding, Vera... go back to sleep. Help is coming... PM Omniance: Lucas: ...Ricky? His eyes are getting heavy from bloodloss, he's about to go back into deep sleep. ...Help me up... So we can... Get... His eyes close. ...Home... PM Arbi: As the camera zooms out, there's no one standing around Lucas. PM Omniance: In the present... Lucas: As the memories of what happened fade his quickly sits up and yells out, really loud, partially because of the excruciating pain of sitting up so fast causes. RICKY?! PM Arbi: Yuri: He tries to keep him from getting up without holding him down and making his pain any worse. Lucas, you're back at the house. PM Omniance: Lucas: The house? He looks around. Where's Ricky?! He starts to get up. Despite the pain he slowly gets to his feet. PM Arbi: Yuri: He stands up to stop him. Lucas, we... we need to talk. Just please sit back down, we just bandaged you a few hours ago. Please... PM | Edited 4:49:39 PM Omniance: Lucas: We were in a car accident... How'd you find us? He looks around in the dark. Where's Ricky? PM Arbi: Yuri: He sits back down with him. I tried calling your house but you guys never picked up. Nemo helped me find out where you were... PM Omniance: Lucas: ...Nemo? He seems disoriented. Ricky's with Nemo? He grabs onto the pool table and stands up. Ahh! There's a cracking sound fromh is leg and he falls down, hitting the ground hard he lets out a long groan. Why didn't I heal... What's happening...? PM Arbi: Yuri: You were attacked, there was a giant spider... You don't remember? PM | Edited 4:55:05 PM Omniance: Lucas: ...What? ...Attacked? ...I remember Ricky drove us off the road and... We hit a tree... I passed out... Then I heard his voice... Now I'm here. It looks like he's not moving due to the pain. PM Arbi: Yuri: Ricky drove the car off the road? He looks a little mad suddenly. Why? PM Omniance: Lucas: Said... We were going back... His voice goes really quiet. ...Why isn't he here? PM Arbi: Yuri: He looks down slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. By the time we found you... His hand shakes a little as he tries to tell him. I'm sorry... PM Omniance: Lucas: He makes a quiet murmuring sound, but Yuri can't understand what he says. PM Arbi: Yuri: He sits closer to him, gently placing his arm around Lucas's back to comfort him. I'm sorry... PM Omniance: Lucas: He leans against Yuri. He's not crying, but he goes quiet for a long time. Almost twenty minutes pass before he finally says something. ...I don't understand... What happened... What spider? PM Arbi: Yuri: After you two left yesterday morning, Troy came home and told us someone was found dead at the diner. It was a man... wrapped up in spider webs. He looks at him. After we found out you were in a car crash we came to save you as fast as we could. Before we could even do anything that giant spider showed up and attacked us. PM Omniance: Lucas: After a moment he lays back down, letting out a quiet wheezing sound from the pain of moving. He doesn't say anything, just lays there in the dark. PM Arbi: Yuri: He keeps his head down and goes quiet for a long moment before saying. You can use deep sleep again if you want, lil bro... I'll stay up and keep you safe. PM Omniance: Lucas: His voice and way of speech sounds almost like Nemo did before he and Yuri fought. It has a strange solemn seriousness to it. A feeling of grim resolve that whatever it takes to see the task through, that's what he'll do. I'm going to get him back.